Catholic teachers taking action

There will be minimal supervision for students during the three hour action from 9am -12pm.

The action follows a rally today at Taree Leagues Club that saw Catholic school teachers and support staff take part in the industrial action to protest "threats to pay, conditions and job security."

According to the Independent Education Union (IEU) around 1600 students from the Manning Valley and Great Lakes areas will be impacted by the stopwork at St Clare's High School and St Joseph's Primary School in Taree, St Joseph's Primary School in Wingham and Holy Name Primary School in Forster.

St Joseph's Primary School in Taree is requested parents "consider keeping their children at home until classes resume at noon." St Clare's High School in Taree was impacted from 9am until noon today and principal Peter Nicholls had advised "the school would be open for students to come to school. However there will be an altered program of classes.

"The decision to strike comes in the wake of 90 per cent of Hunter Valley Catholic systemic schools voting to take industrial action, according to the IEU.

General secretary John Quessy says the results deliver a strong message to employers that teachers and support staff in Catholic schools would not accept threats to pay, conditions and job security.

The industrial action is not unique to Manning Valley and Great Lakes schools with all schools in The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle taking part in the strike.

In the Hunter Valley staff from the various schools will assemble at Wickham Park prior to marching to the Catholic Schools Office to present a petition.

"The petition will call on the director of schools to intervene in the dispute with the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations on behalf of members employed in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese," explained Hunter Valley IEU organiser Therese Fitzgibbon.

"It is hoped that this intervention will force the employer to negotiate around current salaries and conditions rather than those contained in their draconian proposal.

"The conditions contained in the employer proposal are so far below those we have struggled for over many decades, to use that as a starting point would be irresponsible, insulting and would inevitably have a detrimental impact on our children's education.

"When you take away teacher planning, resources and special needs supports while increasing class sizes and workloads you can guarantee that this will be felt in the classroom. It's time for employers to recognise teachers and staff as professionals, respect the work they do and reward them appropriately."